Two Great Sources of Vitamin D

 

The world has been taught by this point to fear the sun, to hide from ultra-violet light, to slather on sunblock and sunscreen and stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day. We wear floppy brimmed hats, long sleeved clothing, and avoid getting a sun burn or tan if we can help it so that we can avoid the worst effects of tanning, which run the gamut from cancer to developing wrinkled, leathery skin. However in doing so we run the risk of not developing enough vitamin D in our bodies, which can lead to a host of problems from increased risks of heart disease to osteoporosis. What can we do? In today's article we look at two common sources of vitamin D, and help you decide which of them you want to pursue in order to ensure that you are getting the right amount.

While sunlight has been painted as the great evil of our time, the truth is that ultra-violet light can be a fantastic and most natural source of vitamin D. Traditionally our bodies depended on ultra-violet light to help stimulate our skin to produce the vitamin, which then would proceed into our blood stream to be processed by our livers and kidneys. How much do you need? Since there is indeed a chance of developing ailments from the sun if done with caution, sunshine is not an officially endorsed source of vitamin D, but still taking about ten to fifteen minutes of sunshine should be more than enough to meet your daily needs of vitamin production.

An excellent and second source of the vitamin can be found in fatty fish. Anything from salmon to trout, from mackerel to tuna to eel can contain optimum amounts. We all need to consume about 600 Individual Units (IU's) of vitamin D, and a good chunk, say 3 ounces, of sockeye salmon contains about 450 IU's, which is plenty from one serving. Remember, if you're over 70 you need even more of the vitamin, so aim to consume about 800 IU's if possible. Not only is eating fatty fish excellent for you in terms of your vitamin balancing, but it all comes with the fantastic omega-3 fatty acids. These are amazing for your health, and makes consuming fatty fish a really wise choice for any healthy diet, since they cover so many bases and ensure your long term health for the better.

 

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